Student Housing
Hopefully the phrase mi casa es tu casa takes on special meaning for you as you live with a Spanish host family and settle in to your home away from home. DO I NEED TO FIND MY OWN HOUSING IN SPAIN? No; housing is typically arranged for all students and all residences and will be approved by the program director. Placed with Spanish host families, you will have the opportunity to observe the culture in-depth, meet natives, and practice your Spanish every day! The program seeks housing that is economical, secure, adequately supervised and reserved in advance. Housing arrangements are a very important aspect of students’ experiences overseas. Many impressions, either positive or negative, of this new culture are a result of living with a host family. Your daily existence and general wellbeing are directly affected by the home situation, and Loras College is sensitive to the importance of housing situations in the overall success of your experience. WHAT IS IT LIKE TO LIVE WITH A SPANISH HOST FAMILY? You will have the opportunity to observe the day-to-day routine of the Spanish and hear the language spoken continually in unstructured conversational situations. An ideal situation is clearly one in which you feel both physically and emotionally comfortable and feel as though you have found your home away from home where warm, genuine human relationships are formed. However, this is not always the case. Just as we cannot guarantee a Spanish homemaker that the student who arrives will be pleasant, polite, neat, interested and interesting, neither can we make assurances of this nature regarding the residence where you will live. Personalities, the chemistry of human relationships, the expectations and flexibility of those involved are all factors which affect the success of situations where strangers come together in arrangements of mutual benefit. You will be placed in clean, respectable residences in secure neighborhoods. In general, Spanish homes have different heating systems which may leave home-stay temperatures lower than typical American homes. You will receive breakfast, lunch and dinner and have access to hot water for showers or baths daily. You will also have your own room with an outward-facing wall with a window. You can receive calls but not necessarily make them from the home where you will live. Telephone rates in Spain are astronomical, and frequent use of the telephone by a number of boarders even for just local calls would be extremely expensive. Therefore, students should expect to be able to receive calls but to make them from some place other than the home. It is very important to note that the practice of private homes operating as student boarding houses in university cities in Spain is a tradition centuries old. University housing (either official dorms or privately-owned) could not begin to accommodate the university population. Thus, family homes and private boarding residences are familiar aspects of university life to Spanish students. You should not necessarily expect a family anxious for and interested in cross-cultural contacts. Your housing is a business arrangement in which you are a paying guest in a private home; many families need to supplement their income and for that reason take in boarders. This, however, does not alter the fact that they are average families representative of certain sectors of Spanish society. While many students have only a relationship of courteous coexistence, others have formed long-lasting friendships with their host families. Tip:'' It is important to note that you will greet your host families (and other Spaniards) with a light kiss on each cheek. Males shake hands with one another. YOU WANT ME TO EAT WHAT?!? Although every effort will be made to accommodate you, you should not expect to make requests for special diets, such as vegetarian. Adaptation to a different culture is a vital part of an overseas experience. Complaints such as “I prefer my food boiled to fried,” “I need more heat, space, quiet, privacy to be happy,” or “I prefer more meat and vegetables and salads instead of so much fish, so many eggs, and so many potatoes” are understandable points-of-view. Many are valid complaints, but they indicate a desire to adapt Spain to American customs rather than you adapting to Spanish customs. The basic diet also differs from that of the United States. In general, they also eat a lot of olive oil, seafood, ham, sausage, eggs, and cheese, and they fry most of their foods. TIPS ABOUT HOST FAMILIES FROM PAST STUDENTS “Common things, such as to respecting, thanking, and offering to help your host family is very important. The biggest advice I can give is to talk to your host family as much as possible because it was the greatest resource I had when it came to learning Spanish.” “If you have a problem—not an inconvenience—with your family, let the program director know and she will move you to a place you feel more comfortable in.” “The food may be very different in your new home, but try everything and don’t offend your families by making faces or telling them it’s bad…but still be honest and polite. Don’t tell them you love something if you don’t, or else you might be eating it two times a week for the rest of the semester!” “Keep in mind that Spain is different from the U.S., and your rooms may be a little chillier and smaller, but if you try to work things through with your families a lot of happiness can be had.” CAN I HAVE OVERNIGHT GUESTS? Overnight houseguests are not permitted out of respect for the host families and due to safety and space issues. Family and friends who visit should make alternative arrangements to stay at youth hostels, bed and breakfasts, or hotels. CAN I CHANGE MY HOUSING ARRANGEMENTS? It depends. If you feel as though you need to change your housing arrangements, it is important that you communicate your concern to the program director. It is the custom in Santiago for the program director to pay monthly in advance for housing. If the director agrees that the reasons for changing the housing arrangement are legitimate, the director will make subsequent contacts with families, prior to placing you in a new housing situation as soon as possible. If at any time you feel threatened, you should leave the situation immediately and talk to the program director.